不久前，恩智浦半導(dǎo)體(NXP Semiconductors)與中國(guó)業(yè)者大唐電信(Datang Telecom)共同宣布，將合資成立一家命名為“大唐恩智浦半導(dǎo)體(Datang NXP Semiconductors)”的無(wú)晶圓廠芯片設(shè)計(jì)公司，號(hào)稱是“中國(guó)第一家真正的汽車(chē)半導(dǎo)體公司”(參考連結(jié))。 這家新創(chuàng)合資公司預(yù)期員工規(guī)模將僅30人左右，總部設(shè)置于鄰近中國(guó)上海的南通；公司股份由大唐與恩智浦各擁有51%與49%。根據(jù)恩智浦半導(dǎo)體全球汽車(chē)市場(chǎng)業(yè)務(wù)暨營(yíng)銷(xiāo)資深副總裁Drue Freeman說(shuō)法，大唐恩智浦將針對(duì)中國(guó)內(nèi)需市場(chǎng)與混合動(dòng)力/電動(dòng)車(chē)(EV)開(kāi)發(fā)專(zhuān)用芯片。 有鑒于中國(guó)對(duì)新能源技術(shù)的強(qiáng)力支持，以及中國(guó)擁有全球規(guī)模最大、成長(zhǎng)最快的汽車(chē)市場(chǎng)，該新合資公司鎖定車(chē)用IC的策略動(dòng)機(jī)很單純。但大唐恩智浦值得注意的一點(diǎn)，是以混合動(dòng)力車(chē)輛與電動(dòng)車(chē)為目標(biāo)，開(kāi)發(fā)“電池管理與能源轉(zhuǎn)換”相關(guān)的特殊應(yīng)用IC。 Freeman指出，該類(lèi)芯片的開(kāi)發(fā)將利用恩智浦的高性能、混合訊號(hào)技術(shù)；根據(jù)雙方協(xié)議，恩智浦將把相關(guān)的特定電源管理、電池管理技術(shù)知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)(IP)轉(zhuǎn)移授權(quán)給新合資公司。 為何是混合動(dòng)力車(chē)輛/電動(dòng)車(chē)市場(chǎng)？ 在此需要特別提出的是，恩智浦雖然在中國(guó)汽車(chē)半導(dǎo)體市場(chǎng)擁有領(lǐng)導(dǎo)地位，在開(kāi)發(fā)「綠能」車(chē)輛芯片方面的經(jīng)驗(yàn)卻不太有名；該公司的車(chē)用技術(shù)偏向于“連網(wǎng)”應(yīng)用，包括車(chē)內(nèi)網(wǎng)絡(luò)、車(chē)內(nèi)信息娛樂(lè)、電子防盜系統(tǒng)(immobilizer)等等。 所 以，為何這家中國(guó)新創(chuàng)公司要以尚未全面起飛的混合動(dòng)力/電動(dòng)車(chē)為目標(biāo)應(yīng)用？對(duì)此恩智浦的Freeman表示，首先，混合動(dòng)力/電動(dòng)車(chē)：“將是中國(guó)車(chē)用半導(dǎo) 體市場(chǎng)大幅超越西方、日本市場(chǎng)的一個(gè)應(yīng)用領(lǐng)域。”他指出，既然中國(guó)在傳統(tǒng)車(chē)輛應(yīng)用的汽車(chē)電子技術(shù)方面落后，為何還要嘗試用西方的東西來(lái)?yè)魯∥鞣剑? 其次，由于非常糟糕的空氣質(zhì)量，中國(guó)目前亟需推廣電動(dòng)車(chē)；Freeman指出，由于中國(guó)政府投下數(shù)十億美元發(fā)展電動(dòng)車(chē)市場(chǎng)，中國(guó)本土芯片供貨商應(yīng)該要抓緊時(shí)機(jī)，藉由在電動(dòng)車(chē)市場(chǎng)在汽車(chē)領(lǐng)域擴(kuò)張勢(shì)力，而非抵抗它。 藉由在新合資公司中占有股份，恩智浦將有機(jī)會(huì)取得中國(guó)政府的研發(fā)補(bǔ)助，這對(duì)該公司來(lái)說(shuō)并不壞。而新合資公司除了可利用恩智浦的品牌知名度──據(jù)說(shuō)在中國(guó)市場(chǎng)非常具份量──恩智浦也將擁有將該合資公司產(chǎn)品銷(xiāo)售至中國(guó)以外市場(chǎng)的權(quán)利。 同 時(shí)，恩智浦相信新成立的中國(guó)合資公司在開(kāi)發(fā)需要與競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手差異化的車(chē)用芯片十，將會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)恩智浦以絕緣上覆硅(SOI)為基礎(chǔ)的先進(jìn)雙極CMOS DMOS (A-BCD)技術(shù)之吸引力所在。Freeman表示，藉由與恩智浦合作，新合資公司將可使用恩智浦獨(dú)家制程技術(shù)，包括高頻RF CMOS與SOI。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 本文下一頁(yè)：政府的積極補(bǔ)助策略終將激勵(lì)中國(guó)電動(dòng)車(chē)市場(chǎng)

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• 恩智浦與大唐成立合資公司，押注中國(guó)本土車(chē)企
• 華為進(jìn)駐車(chē)聯(lián)網(wǎng)，巨頭能否撬動(dòng)產(chǎn)業(yè)變局？VwXesmc

{pagination} 但中國(guó)的電動(dòng)車(chē)市場(chǎng)規(guī)模究竟有多大？在西方業(yè)者仍為提升電動(dòng)車(chē)銷(xiāo)售量傷腦筋的此時(shí)，為何要在一個(gè)仍在萌芽階段、前途茫茫的市場(chǎng)冒這么大風(fēng)險(xiǎn)？ 根 據(jù)恩智浦提供的數(shù)據(jù)，在2012年中國(guó)市場(chǎng)的混合動(dòng)力/電動(dòng)車(chē)銷(xiāo)售量為1萬(wàn)2,791臺(tái)，僅占當(dāng)?shù)仄?chē)年度總銷(xiāo)售量的0.7%。同樣在2012年，在中國(guó) 的25座城市有近2萬(wàn)8,000輛采用新興能源的車(chē)輛上路，其中有八成是大客車(chē)，大部分的轎車(chē)實(shí)際上是由地方與中央政府相關(guān)部門(mén)所采購(gòu)。 汽車(chē)業(yè)者在向一般中國(guó)消費(fèi)者推廣電動(dòng)車(chē)方面可能會(huì)遇到的嚴(yán)峻挑戰(zhàn)，是難以忽視的；對(duì)此恩智浦的一位發(fā)言人表示：“因此中國(guó)針對(duì)采購(gòu)電動(dòng)車(chē)的私人買(mǎi)家提供了優(yōu)渥的補(bǔ)助金。” 根據(jù)中國(guó)工信部稍早所公告的新訊息，中國(guó)政府現(xiàn)在將節(jié)能與采用新興能源的車(chē)輛依據(jù)效率分為16個(gè)等級(jí)來(lái)發(fā)放補(bǔ)助津貼，金額預(yù)期由3,000元人民幣(491美元)起跳。恩智浦與大唐的新合資公司，正是看好政府的積極補(bǔ)助策略終將激勵(lì)中國(guó)電動(dòng)車(chē)市場(chǎng)。 誰(shuí)將擔(dān)任新公司首席執(zhí)行官？ 身為一家國(guó)營(yíng)企業(yè)的大唐，將為新合資公司提供在芯片設(shè)計(jì)方面的專(zhuān)長(zhǎng)、對(duì)中國(guó)政府機(jī)構(gòu)決策者的熟悉度與了解，以及中國(guó)當(dāng)?shù)厥袌?chǎng)的客戶與合作伙伴。在此同時(shí)，恩智浦則將為合資公司帶來(lái)的貢獻(xiàn)，除了數(shù)十年的汽車(chē)市場(chǎng)經(jīng)驗(yàn)，還有一位首席執(zhí)行官。 未 來(lái)將擔(dān)任大唐恩智浦半導(dǎo)體首席執(zhí)行官的人選，將會(huì)是曾擔(dān)任前飛利浦(Philips)/恩智浦半導(dǎo)體高層、在幾個(gè)月前才又回鍋恩智浦的Paul Zhang ；Zhang是中國(guó)籍，畢業(yè)于北京清大并曾留學(xué)海外，擁有加拿大卡加利大學(xué)(University of Calgary)碩士學(xué)位，專(zhuān)長(zhǎng)光纖網(wǎng)絡(luò)，并擁有美國(guó)福坦莫大學(xué)(Fordham University)的eMBA文憑。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：NXP’s JV Bets on China’s Tenuous EV Market，by Junko Yoshida

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• 恩智浦與大唐成立合資公司，押注中國(guó)本土車(chē)企
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{pagination} NXP’s JV Bets on China’s Tenuous EV Market Junko Yoshida, Chief International Correspondent MADISON, Wis. — I suspect that I'm not alone in wondering when the fabless chip companies that have begun popping up in droves all over China in the last few years were going to awaken to markets other than the obviously overcrowded mobile space. Well, lo and behold. Earlier this month, NXP Semiconductors N.V. announced the formation of a joint venture called Datang NXP Semiconductors Co. Ltd., with China's state-owned Datang Telecom Technology Co. NXP calls the joint venture "China's first true, dedicated automotive chip company." The JV will be a small, fabless startup, consisting of about 30 employees, headquartered in Nantong, close to Shanghai. Datang NXP Semiconductors -- 51 percent owned by Datang and 49 percent by NXP -- will develop automotive chips for China's domestic and hybrid and electric car market, according to Drue Freeman, senior vice president for global automotive sales and marketing at NXP Semiconductors. Given China's strong government support for new energy technologies, and the fact that China has the biggest, fastest growing automotive market in the world, the joint venture's plan to go after automotive is a no-brainer. What makes the new JV notable is that it is founded to go after the hybrid and EV market. It will develop and sell advanced, application-specific, automotive ICs -- specifically in the area of "battery management and energy conversion" for EVs and hybrids, explained Freeman. It will do so by leveraging NXP's high-performance, mixed-signal technology. Under the agreement, NXP will transfer and license to the new JV certain IP rights in power management, including battery management, Freeman added. Hybrids and EVs It's important to point out, though, that NXP, despite its leading market share in China's automotive market, is not exactly known for its experience in developing chips for "green" vehicles. NXP's automotive focus has always been on the "connected car" area, including chips for in-vehicle networking, in-vehicle entertainment, immobilizers, and more. So, why is the new JV in China set up to go after the yet-to-blossom hybrid and EV market? First, hybrids and EVs will be "an area where China can leapfrog automotive semiconductor suppliers from the West and Japan," said Freeman. Since China lags behind automotive electronics technologies designed for conventional vehicles, why try to beat the West on Western terms, asked Freeman. Second, China badly needs to adopt EVs, sooner than later, due to its terribly polluted air quality. With the Chinese government spending billions of dollars to develop the EV market, Chinese domestic chip suppliers should seize the moment and get stronger in automotive by enabling the EV market, rather than fighting it, noted Freeman. NXP, by becoming a minority shareholder of the China-based JV, will have access to Chinese government R&D subsidies. Not a bad move on NXP's part. While the JV will be able to leverage NXP's brand name, which is said to be fairly prominent in the Chinese automotive market, the Dutch chip company will have the right to sell JV-developed products, on behalf of the JV, to markets outside China. Meanwhile, NXP believes the Chinese JV will find NXP's Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI)-based advanced bipolar CMOS DMOS (A-BCD) technologies attractive, as it develops its own automotive chips that need to be differentiated from others. By partnering with NXP, Freeman said, the JV will have access to process technologies unique to NXP, including high-frequency RF CMOS and SOI. Subsidies for e-vehicles But really, how big is China's EV market? With automakers in the West still struggling to sell EVs, why risk so much on a budding market that might not blossom? In 2012, China saw 12,791 electric and hybrid vehicles sold, contributing to only 0.7 percent of the nation's total car sales, according to NXP. As of 2012, there were nearly 28,000 new energy vehicles in 25 Chinese cities, and 80 percent were buses. A majority of passenger cars sold in 2012, in fact, were procured by local and central governments. It's hard to ignore the severe challenges the auto industry faces in promoting electric vehicles to the average Chinese consumer. "Therefore, the government extended its lavish subsidies for private buyers who purchase electric cars," said an NXP spokeswoman. According to updated subsidies announced earlier this year by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, instead of offering subsidies to producers based on auto technologies, the government now provides 16 levels of subsidies for energy-efficient and new-energy vehicles based on efficiency. The minimum subsidy is expected to be more than RMB3,000 (US$491). The new JV is banking on a future in which aggressive government subsidies will eventually trigger the demand for EVs in China. CEO for the new startup Datang, as a state-owned company, is bringing to the JV its IC design expertise along with inside knowledge and familiarity with China's political decision makers, as well as emerging local customers and partners. Meanwhile, NXP is bringing to the JV the company's decades of experience on the automotive market -- and a new CEO. The man heading up Datang NXP Semiconductors is Paul Zhang, ex-Philips/NXP Semiconductors executive, who joined NXP again several months ago prior to becoming the new JV's CEO. Zhang, native to China, is a graduate of Tsinghua Univ. He also spent substantial time studying in the West, including a Master's degree in fiber networks from the University of Calgary and an executive MBA from Fordham University. Before returning to NXP, Zhang served as senior director at Dolby Laboratories, working in San Francisco and in Greater China, responsible for sales. Zhang wrote in his LinkedIn page that the new JV is "aggressively hiring people from entry level to executive level in areas such as supply chain management operations, quality management, R&D (architect, analog, digital, layout, testing, verification, qualification and others), sales & marketing (product marketing, AE, SE and others)."